Colin Whelan

October 9, 2020

How are Values Changing in Canada and the US?

In the wake of the growing Black Lives Matter movement and increasing discussions about racial justice, we have seen a dramatic rise in the esteem of Black people in both countries. In 2016, just over half (51%) Americans reported a favourable impression of Black people (7 or higher on a 0 to 10 scale). Now 62% of Americans say the same, an increase of 11 points. Similar, in Canada, favourable impressions of Black people have risen from 55% to 65%, a gain of 10 point.
October 9, 2020

Key value conflicts help explain differences in Canadian and American politics

Looking across 21 value dimensions combining questions relating to economic, cultural, populist/alienation, openness, and post-materialist values, Canadians and Americans are generally more similar than different. But there are two big, and seven more moderate value gaps, that help exist explain a lot about the differences in our politics.
October 9, 2020

Trump may personally beat COVID-19, but it can still be his downfall come election day

The 2020 US Presidential Election is a referendum on Donald Trump, and he is losing. Our online survey of 2,435 registered voters shows Donald Trump is trailing Joe Biden by 5 percentage points across the country as a whole. In 2016, Trump was able to win enough tight races in key states to win the electoral college, despite losing the popular votes. He is not doing so at this point in the race. Trump trails Biden by 7 percentage points in the states most likely to be the electoral college tipping point this time around.
October 8, 2020

Five things about the US election that will surprise Canadians

Canadians like to think that when George H. W. Bush talked about a kinder, gentler nation, he was talking about Canada. But recent results from INNOVATIVE’s two-nation study of values and politics in Canada and the US with 2,771 eligible Canadian voters and 2,435 registered US voters suggests Canadians may want to reconsider their assumptions.